France Memoir

Napoleon - schon der Name ist bis heute Inbegriff von Ruhm und historischer Größe. Nur selten in der Weltgeschichte hat ein Mensch in so kurzer Zeit so viel erobert und so viel verspielt. Johannes Willms, der große Kenner der Epoche und Napoleon-Biograph, fasst in diesem kritischen Porträt noch einmal den Aufstieg und Fall des Ausnahmemenschen zusammen, der erst Frankreich und dann Europa beherrschte, vom Revolutionsgeneral zum Despoten wurde und am Ende nach der Schlacht von Waterloo in der Verbannung starb.

This collection of audiobooks will help you understand a crucial part of the history of French monarchy. For each king, you will find a detailed description of the style of his reign and his political achievements narrated in a lively way. Portraits of Henri IV, Louis XI, Louis XIV, Louis XV and Louis XVIII.

Steve Matchett's thought-provoking short story - Fragments from France - has proved one of the author's most popular pieces of memoir writing. This atmospheric tale was first published in his highly acclaimed collection of short stories, These Desired Things. This new audiobook sees "fragments" elevated in status - this truly essential story of first world war survival now narrated as a compelling "live performance edition" with the text delivered in three distinct acts.

Saint Louis: A King's Obsession with Relics, Magic, and Spells is a richly detailed exploration of the life and reign of King Louis IX of France, a monarch whose legacy is steeped in both sanctity and the supernatural. This book delves into the hidden aspects of Louis IX’s life, revealing a ruler driven not only by his devout Christian faith but also by an insatiable hunger for mystical knowledge. King Louis IX, canonized as Saint Louis after his death, is often remembered for his piety.

Robespierre was a poor, well-educated activist and politician who would seize power during the French Revolution...today he is not remembered for his work on universal male voting rights, price controls for basic food needs, and abolishing slavery...but for his Reign of Terror. How did an intelligent man driven by morals of freedom and justice end up executing thousands in a mad grab to maintain power? Follow his fascinating descent from the Hero of the Republic to its true enemy.

One of the most famous women of the 20th century, Marie Curie was a trailblazer in the truest sense. Known for her discovery of two radioactive elements, radium and polonium, Marie Curie was the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. She remains the only woman to win two Nobel Prizes in different sciences.

The Marquis de Lafayette may be a name that sounds vaguely familiar. If you've studied even a little American history, you'll recall Lafayette as George Washington's right-hand man during the American Revolution. This remarkable man was just a teenager when he ventured across the seas from France to fight in a conflict that he was in no way obligated to participate in. Yet, here he was, this young man full of idealistic thoughts, ready to help a country set their path on the road to independence. Little did Lafayette know that this would be just the first ride among many he would take.

No historical figure’s life story offers a more intriguing and insightful look at a specific moment in French - and European - history than that of Joan of Arc. Over the course of a life that sadly lasted just 19 years, Joan of Arc completely altered the course of the Hundred Year’s War. Ultimately, Joan of Arc was burned at the stake for her insistence that she received counsel from God, but what she achieved as a result of this guidance is a truly incredible story.

Louis XVI is one of the most famous kings of France, but for reasons he would have much rather avoided. Coming of age in the wake of the reign of the Sun King, Louis XIV, and his father, Louis XV, Louis XVI initially intended to be one of France's most enlightened kings. Instead, he was destined to be the only French king ever executed. Indeed, it is his death and his role in fomenting the French Revolution (along with his infamous queen, Marie Antoinette) that continue to play the central role in Louis XVI's legacy.

Einhard served Charlemagne, king and Holy Roman Emperor, for 23 years. From that experience, combined with his in-depth research, Einhard penned this biography of Charlemagne in the style of Suetonius’ Lives of the Caesars. Because he felt indebted to Charlemagne, Einhard wrote in a partial tone, exalting the man’s achievements and overlooking certain unflattering details about his life. Despite this, historians regard The Life of Charlemagne as an important historical account that, while not far-reaching, is largely reliable.

A possible genius, a smidgen of madness, a twist of science, and an invention that very nearly changed the world - all collide in a giddy, unbelievably true mystery set in turn-of-the-century Paris.

Considered by some to be far too old for one attempting to rejuvenate the career of a soldier, Baron Johann von de Kalb was a keen student of war with a steady mind and hand. Once able to prove his worth to the Continental Congress, he rose immediately to the rank of brigadier general under George Washington, served with distinction, and died heroically in the Battle of Camden, a battle in the South that foretold the eventual surrender of Lord Cornwallis at Yorktown.

Understand a crucial part of the history of French monarchy with this collection of portraits of some of the most spectacular rulers of France: Louis XI, Louis XII, Louis XIII, Louis XIV, Louis XV, Louis XVI, Louis XVII, Louis XVIII, Louis-Philippe, and Henry IV, also known as the "Good King Henry". The history of the kingdom of France is crucial to understanding the shape of politics in Europe, and this detailed dive into the lives and reigns of these most famous rulers will familiarize you with the human and strategic stakes of this period.

He wasn’t born to rule—he decided to. Seize the Crown tells the story of how a boy from Corsica rose to dominate Europe—not just with armies, but with ideas, optics, and unstoppable momentum. This isn’t a dry military chronicle or another romantic portrait. It’s a forensic breakdown of how Napoleon hacked power, reshaped law, manipulated myth, and became the blueprint for modern authoritarianism.

Can a two-career couple really pick up stakes and move to Provence? Keith and Val had a dream - to live in Provence, the land of brilliant sunlight, charming hilltop villages, and the deep blue waters of the Mediterranean. But there were two problems: they weren't French speakers and they had full-time jobs. So they came up with a plan....

Claude Monet has been the icon for the impressionist movement. His family life wasn’t perfect, but despite all obstacles, the French genius painter has left us a legacy and a new perspective on realism and technique in their purest forms. In this guide, we’ll go over his youth, his style, his methods, his most famous paintings, and many of the reasons why he made the decisions he made.

Jean-Paul Marat (1743-1793) gave the French Revolution a voice. One of the most memorable and notorious revolutionaries, Marat became one of the Revolution's best-known figures through his speeches, writings, and scathing attacks on everyone he perceived as, "[E]nemies of the revolution". No revolutionary was more passionate, determined, and willing to die for the cause.

Voltaire, born François-Marie Arouet in Paris, France, was a writer and leading figure of the Enlightenment. His insistence that all authority could and must be questioned was so radical, he ended up in prison several times and was ultimately exiled. Voltaire’s writings were instrumental in influencing the American and French revolutions. Man as a being with natural rights was a radical concept at the time, but one which the American founding fathers embraced. Voltaire’s anger was specifically directed at the arbitrary powers of the state and the church.

In this audiobook, we seek to cut through centuries of bias and preconceived notions when it comes to Marie Antoinette. Never mind what you may think you know about this sensational sovereign; here, we seek to find the real person behind the historical quips and catchphrases.

Explore the life of one of the medieval world’s most memorable figures. Eleanor of Aquitaine became the queen of both France and England, the wife of two kings, and later the mother of two kings. Heiress to the rich French provinces of Aquitaine and Poitou, she was undoubtedly one of medieval Europe’s most powerful and wealthiest women.